


nothing but my smile

by templeofshame



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Implied Sexual Content, Introspection, M/M, comfort zones, naked gaming, naked non-gaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 18:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15225519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templeofshame/pseuds/templeofshame
Summary: Moments of nudity and comfort zones in the life of Dan and Phil.





	nothing but my smile

**Author's Note:**

> surprise surprise i needed @waveydnp to get through this

For all his internet recklessness, IRL, Dan likes to keep things private. No matter how sure he is that his family won’t be home, no matter how tame he expects the Skype call to be, Dan’s door is firmly shut. Even when he’s just watching Phil’s videos—fully clothed with his hands in plain sight, _most of the time_ —he wants to put as much between himself and other people as possible, short of barricading the door. 

The first time he takes a nakedbooth, he debates an actual barricade. But if someone knocked, it would only add to the suspicious amount of time before he could open the door. All family members are accounted for, and he’ll just have to be efficient. Dan is sufficiently alone and safely enclosed to get naked for the wide open internet. Especially for one person-sized part of it. And again. And again.

Phil, on the other hand, is quick to embrace the whole giant house when his parents are away for any defined period of time. Phil owns the space he’s in, that’s just how he is. Dan’s slouching awkwardly on the Lesters’ couch, awash in natural light, when Phil brings up the photo, and their comments. The 300-follower nakedbooth scenario felt very different when he’d taken it in the privacy of his room. It’s not like they hadn’t been making out on the couch before, but the level of “exposed” doesn’t really compare. It’s not that Dan hadn’t meant what he said, he just… 

Being naked in front of Phil is one thing. That was part of the plan. Up close, it would be all about Phil and trust, and for better or worse, that part’s easy for Dan. But there’s something about all the _space_. Enough that he can’t forget his own body, how awkward he is in it, how there’s a world of complications to this thing that should be perfect and private. Dan would rather just fold into the space between Phil’s limbs, block out everything else. 

But this is part of the game, and he told Phil he’d play. “This okay?” Phil asks, softly. That’s how awkward Dan is, how decent Phil is, or both.

“Of course!” So what if Dan’s a little defensive? It’s a lot at once. His bare ass on Amazingphil’s parents’ couch is more than a little surreal. It’s a very nice couch to sully, but mostly Dan feels vulnerable and a little cold. And glad he got Phil to close the curtains. 

“I thought you did this every Saturday?” Phil teases. Before Dan can stumble through a response, he goes on. “Or is that what you tell all the boys?”

Dan knows he’s too fond too fast, but he can’t help it. He can’t really hide it, either, even though he would describe the look as “quizzical,” thank you very much. _This guy._ “That’s not…”

But Phil’s laughing, and he doesn’t seem to care about the other 299 people of various ages and gender to whom Dan had, in fact, told that. The sound of his laughter spreads out to fill that ominous space, and Dan’s no longer listening for some unexpected noise to send him diving for cover and his clothes. Sure, there’s always a risk, but Phil’s naked and not actually terrible at Halo. There are better places for Dan’s attention.  
. 

***

Phil’s room just feels like a safer place to be naked; Dan’s known it long-distance for as long as he’s known Phil. Taking a nakedbooth in Phil’s room hadn’t been that different than taking one in his own; Kath hadn’t come home from the shops early, and Dan had maintained his level of Parental Approval.

This time, there’s no threat of parents, and yes, of course he wants to go up to Phil’s room. He knows, now, what to expect from home-alone Phil; he’s not surprised that the clothing removal begins long before they greet Uma Thurman at the door. He’s a little surprised, though, that Phil pulls him right past her, as if the door isn’t there.

“There’s a perfectly good door,” Dan says, watching Phil almost fall on his face as he heads for his bedside drawer while also struggling out of his jeans. Apart from the door, there’s a window looking out on the street, and maybe no one’s out there at this time of night, but Dan closes the blinds before anything can go further.

Phil just grins for a moment, lets Dan mess with the blinds, but he stands between Dan and the door. Dan’s still figuring out Phil’s grins, but he thinks this one means it’s not about door quality, and it’s not an oversight. Phil wants the door open. In his parents’ house. With sex imminent. “It’s okay,” Phil says. “Uma can watch if she wants.”

The thought lingers in the back of Dan’s mind, but for now he focuses on Phil. On all the things that are brand new and far more significant than the fact of a closed door every time with his ex. On every detail that won’t be new next time, or the time after, and Dan’s almost as excited for it all to be familiar. 

***

It’s not Portugal.

It’s better than just waiting, though. It’s better than no Phil at all, or only Phil in his parents’ house while they’re around. Portugal was Phil’s idea, but largely because away is something Dan needs. 

Nothing against Kath and Nigel, just… Phil’s parents know him now. Like him, even. And that’s important to Dan, that’s lurking in the back of his mind whenever Phil touches him and he knows they’re downstairs, or at the shops, or asleep. Sometimes he can push it away; he knows Phil’s family isn’t like his, they don’t unexpectedly knock, they probably stopped judging long ago... But Dan’s just never the same kind of comfortable in a bustling house, and besides, Phil can’t just lounge around naked all day. Which is making their hotel room the least disappointing thing about Blackpool.

Maybe they should go out and see things, like they’d planned to in Portugal, but they’d still have that next month. And Dan has already decided that Blackpool is not worth seeing. A hotel room, in a city where they know no one, is kind of Dan’s ideal. Phil’s apologetic about the room, what he could find at the last minute, but to Dan it’s small in all the best ways: a little bubble of Dan and Phil and nothing else. Blackpool might be a shithole, but he never wants to leave.

“Living with other people is just too much work,” Dan says. Phil’s just coming back from the toilet, which means he gave Dan a minute to think about reality. Even Phil isn’t perfect.

“As opposed to living alone?” Dan can tell Phil knows that isn’t what he means. He’s looking at Dan like he’s very young and very precious.

“Not that I’ve lived with you, but—“

“Living with anyone is hard, Dan. It’s not like a holiday.” Phil plops on the bed next to Dan, and the mattress buoys him up just a little in response. It’s like that with every little thing, just a little extra… spring? bounce? when Phil’s around.

“I know, there’s always bullshit, but I wouldn’t mind it. It wouldn’t be so hard.” Dan’s been watching Phil the whole time, but he’s rolled onto his side now to meet Phil’s eyes. Maybe there’s a hint of a challenge.

“Well,” Phil says, holding his gaze. “Stick around long enough to prove me wrong?”

***

Phil loves windows. They can’t afford floor-to-ceiling yet, but when they’re looking at flats, windows are a factor. Some part of Dan is still surprised, though, still thinks he’ll close the blinds when he wants to game naked.

“It’s a perk of being up this high!” Phil reassures him. “Why do you think I want a penthouse? For the view? You know my favorite view.”

Dan wants to feign ignorance, but he can feel the blush creeping in. He’s seen the photos Phil takes, on every trip, while Dan’s taking photos of views. 

“There could be a window cleaner. Suspended in the air, thrown off balance by a naked Phil. It could be dangerous.”

“Don’t they warn you about things like that? When they’re coming by?” Phil is stretching his arms and shoulders, taking up as much space as he can with his bare skin.

Dan doesn’t know about that. “They probably expect you to keep the blinds drawn, mate!” Dan’s looking out, now, trying to guess what people could see from the ground, or from a distant window. “I bet there’s some flat that can see in. You’re like Ugly Naked Guy’s evil twin: Hot Naked Guy.”

“Are you complaining?” Phil lowers his voice and grins that cheeky grin of his as he takes a step closer to Dan.

Dan steps forward without thinking, wraps his arms around to draw him closer. “Only,” he says just before their lips meet, “about the blinds.”

***

The worst sound at 8 a.m. is that damn mail buzzer. Dan’s told Phil, it would be less of a pain to actually _go outside_ to a store. They’re open at much more reasonable hours. And it’s not like it’s only a problem for Dan. Mr. Slept Through An Earthquake can sometimes sleep through the buzzer itself, but even then he wakes somewhere between the detangling and the cold absence of Dan.

Stumbling to the door at 8 a.m., while inherently unreasonable for anyone to expect from them, is much worse when it also means you have to put on clothes.

“Can’t. ‘M naked,” Phil whines into his pillow, pulling away from where he’s pressed against Dan.

“Phil,” Dan says. It’s enough to get his message across.

“But you’ll get dressed anyway.” The thing is, Phil has a point. But it’s a point that would work against Dan on any day they didn’t have leaving-the-flat plans. Or…

“Maybe I won’t.” At that, Phil’s body tenses with surprise, and Dan knows that sleepy state is starting to fade.

“No?”

“Don’t need to if you get the door.”

Yep, those are the movements of a man who knows, on some level, that this is both fair and to his benefit. “Promise. Naked gaming day.”

“Naked gaming day,” Dan promises, as he lays his head down and lets his eyelids droop shut. He can see the scene perfectly, sleepy Phil fumbling with drawers and an outfit of first-grabbed pieces. Dan suspects, though, that he’ll never see the look; by the time he lifts his head again, Phil will be back but the clothes will be gone.

***

Phil doesn’t look up when Dan comes in. Maybe it’s the sound of keys, or particularly Dan-like thumps approaching, or maybe an intruder would be greeted the same way: by a naked Phil, engrossed in Fortnite, calling out, “How was therapy?”

Dan kind of likes that Phil doesn’t look. It’s not a big deal, it’s not something he needs to know, but Phil cares. He’s giving Dan space to answer, but also to process shit his own way. 

Dan shrugs even though Phil can’t see. “Wasn’t the apocalypse. How’s the apocalypse?” He remembers the time Phil won and had to scramble for his clothes, panicked that he’d lose the screen before he could take a safe-for-work selfie. He could see just watching Phil play for a while.

“Violent.” Phil looks up at Dan just as a bullet hits his character. Dan won’t take the blame for it, and Phil doesn’t seem too bothered. So it’s laid-back naked Fortnite today, or at least that game was a lost cause. “No one wants to build a life with me,” Phil whines.

“I _guess_ I could join you,” Dan pretends to grumble. “Duo it up.”

“Not like that you can’t. This is _Naked_ Fortnite. It’s a whole ‘nother game.”

Dan can try not to smile as he slides his jeans over his hips. But no matter what he tries to say with his face, it’s comfortable. A part of Phil, and of who Dan’s become over the last near-decade.

Someday, they’ll have to choose between floor-to-ceiling windows and this. Phil will talk about one-way windows like in a spy movie, or floor-to-ceiling curtains for just this occasion, but there are other reasons for compromise. Maybe he’s wrong, but Dan thinks… He just thinks, someday, naked gaming might make way for other things. Other things that are just as Dan and Phil.

**Author's Note:**

> i live on [tumblr](), say hi.


End file.
